Printing and punching machines



April 26, 1966 J. H. coNDY ETAL 3,247,784

PRINTING AND PUNCHING MACHINES Filed April 5. 1962 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 /NVE/VTOS John Herbert Condy Vernon Wo'rkins Sparrow April 26. 1966 J. H. coNDY r-:TAL 3,247,784

PRINTING AND PUNCHING MACHINES Filed April 5, 1962 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 CUSTOMERS NAME AND ADDRESS COMPANY'S NAME INSERT T IS /Nl/E/VTOZS John Herbert Condy Vernon Watkins Sparrow POS! ION April 26 1966 J. H. coNDY ETAL 3,247,784

PRINTING AND PUNCHING MACHINES Filed April 5. 1962 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 ,er i@ /A/l/i/VTOS John Herben` Condy Vernon Wo'rkinsSporrow April 26, 1966 J. H. @my ETA. 3,247,784

PRINTING AND PUNGHING MACHINES Filed April 5, 1962 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 i l INVENTORS April 26, 1966 J. H. cmNDY ETAL. 3,247,784

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m/YE/V /A/FO/QMHWO/V ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,247,784 PRINTING AND PUNCHING MACHINES John Herbert Condy and Vernon Watkins Sparrow, London, England, assignors to Bell Punch Company Limited, London, England, a British company Filed Apr. 5, 1962, Ser. No. 185,285

2 Claims (Cl. 101-19) This invention relates to data printing and punching machines. The principal object of the invention is `to provide a portable machine for this purpose which will be light and yet capable not only of producing on a record card a printed record of first data but also of producing on a record web a punched record in code Vform of this same data and, if required, a punched record, also in code form, of second data-more particularly a pocket-size machine of this description which will be suitable for the use of gas, electricity or like cm,

modity meter readers, the record card in this case being retained by the customer and the record web (later referred to herein, in the particular. description of the invention, as the punched tape record) being subsequently translated, after removal from the machine, in an automatic reading machine.

The invention will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of the exterior of a machine constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary side elevation of the interior of the machine, showing certain parts of the mechanism thereof. i

FIGURE 3 is also a side elevation of the interior of the machine.

FIGURE 4 illustrates a punch controlling token (hereinaftermore particularly described) as used in the machine.

FIGURE 5 illustrates a unit comprising a record card attached to a token as illustrated in FIGURE 4, the unit being allocated to a particular consumer of the electricity, gas, or other supply undertaking.

FIGURES 6, 7 and 8 are three views of the type carl rier (later referred to as the print and punch wheel) of the machine, FIGURE 7 being a section taken on Jthe line VIL-VII in FIGURE 6 and FIGURES 6 and 8 being side elevational views.

lFIGURE 9 is an external perspective view of the machine showing a token in inserted position in the machine.

FIGURE l0 is a view similar to that of FIGURE. 9 but showing a record card in inserted position, and

FIGURE l1 illustrates a portion of a punched tape record as produced in the machine.

Referring to FIGURES 2 and 3 of the drawing, there is illustrated a plate 10 in which there is journaled a shaft 11 for rotation about its axis or rotation. A pair of pins 12, 13 integral with a quadrant plate 14 extends into a pair of slots 15, 16 formed in a pair of levers 17, 18,

respectively. The lever 17 is pivotally mounted at 19 on the plate 10 and is also provided with a lateral lug 20. A bifurcated lever 30 is also pivotally mounted at 19 and is also provided with a lateral lug 31 adjacent one end thereof. A light spring 32 is anchored at one end to the lug 31 and at the other end to one end of a detent Vpawl 33 which is pivotally mounted on the plate 10 at A further lever which is a mirror-image of `the lever 17 and a further quadrant plate with integral pins (a mirrorlimage of the plate 14 and pins 12, 13) is mounted on the shaft 11 on the other side of the plate 130 as seen in FIGURE 3.

Referring to FIGURE 2, a pair of ratchet pawls 36, 37 are pivotally connected to the quadrant plate 14 which is visible in this figure, the pawl 36 being formed as a tooth at the free end thereof so as to engage one tooth at a time of a ratchet wheel 38 and the pawl 37 being similarly'formed to engage a ratchet wheel 39. The `two pawls are urged into engagement with the teeth of the associated ratchet wheels by a spring 40l and a pair of stops 50 and 51 are provided to support the pawls 36, 37 at ythe instant when they are no longer engaging the ratchet wheels 38, 39. The detent pawl 33 engages the teeth of the ratchet wheel 38.

The lever 18 is, like the lever 30, also bifurcated, being pivotally mounted at 52 and carrying a punch block 53 (shown diagrammatically in FIGURE 3). Six punches 54, spring biased by light springs 55 (FIG. 3), are carried by the block. The punch tape 56 extends through a passage in the block in the usual manner. Obviously the number of punches providedmay be varied to suit the users requirements.

A detent pawl 57, carrying a single `step or tooth 58 for the engagement of successive teeth of the ratchet wheel 39, is pivotally mounted at one end at 59 and is biassed at the other end by a light spring 60. The detent pawl 57 is obviously not adjustable and it may be preferred to provide an adjustable one, for example, a pawl movable relatively to the plate 10 along a curved slot and capable of being secured in any selected position.

The ratchet wheel 38 is drivingly connected through a shaft 73 extending `across the interior of the `chassis between the two plates 10 and 130 to a roller 70` situated on the far 4side of plate 130 as seen in FIGURE 3. This roller has a milled or knurled rim. An idlerroller 71, likewise situated and also having a milled or knurled rim, is urged towards the roller 70 by a strong spring 72 (FIG- URE 3).

The ratchet wheel 38 is secured to the shaft 73 and this shaft serves also as the shaft about which a supply reel 74 of typewriter ribbon 75 rotates freely as said ribbon is wound off the supply reel.

A pulley wheel 76 (FIGURE 2) is fast- With a shaft 77 extending across the interior space of the chassis, upon which shaft there is mounted not only the ratchet wheel 39 but also a pin-wheel 78 located between the chassis plates 10 and 130 upon the periphery vof which pin wheel are a plurality of radially directed pins 79. An endless drive belt 80 extends around the pulley wheel 76 and also around a second pulley wheel 81 secured to a shaft 82 likewise extending across the interior space of the chassis. A reel 83 (FIG. 3) is also mounted on the shaft 82 in fast relation thereto, said reel beingthe take-up reel for the punch tape 56 which is stored on and is drawn off a supply reel 84 mounted on a shaft 85. This shaft also extends across the interior space of the chassis.

A thumb or linger knob 86 is illustrated in FIGURE 1. Said knob 86 is attached to a lever 87 (FIGURE 3) which is pivoted at 88 on a part carried on the plate 10. Whenever the lever 87 isV rocked about its pivotal axis to the right as seen in FIGURE 3: t, j

1) The roller 71 is lifted away from the roller 70 by mechanism which consists of a bell-crank lever 89 (see FIGURE 3) pivotally mounted at 90, a long link connected at one end to the bell-crank lever 89 and at the other to the lever 87 in any Adesirable manner; and

(2) The typewriter ribbon 75 (see again FIGURE 3) is drawn off the supply reel 74 by rotation of a take-up reel 101 about the axis of a shaft 102 extending across the interior space of the chassis by mechanism which consists of a ratchet pawl 103 mounted on the lever 87 and a ratchet wheel 104 fast with the shaft 102 and engaged by the pawl 103, a detent pawl 105 being provided to ensure correct positioning of the ratchet wheel 104. The detent pawl S may be adjustable in the same manner as described in relation to the detent pawl 57.

The print and punch wheel 106 is mounted for rotation about the axis of a shaft 107 extending across the interior space of the chassis, said shaft being provided with a manually operable knob which is located exteriorly of the casing of the machine.

The wheel 106 is illustrated diagrammatically by a circle in FIGURE 3 because its construction and the disposition of data thereon is fully illustrated in FIGURES 6, 7 and 8. From these figures it will be seen that the wheel 106 is provided on its circumferential surface with a plurality of numerals (0 to 9) engraved in relief as at 108 for printing purposes. These numerals represent first data digits. Disposed between the engraved numerals 0 and 9 there is a portion 109 of the wheel 106 which has been cut away in order to ensure that, when the wheel 106 is `disposed with the portion 109 in the printing position (which is the position vertically above the axis of the wheel 106), printing will not be effected. Furthermore, the upper flat surface of the wheel 106 is labelled with the appropriate numerals and the letter T, said numerals and the letter being in radial alignment with the engraved numerals and the portion 109, respectively.

Disposed between adjacent engraved numerals or between the engraved numerals O and 9 and the portion 109, are a series of coded holes 110, axially aligned and drilled or otherwise formed in the material of which the wheel is made. These holes also represent first data digits, said digits being the same as those represented by the numerals 0 to 9.

Thus, for example, in the five unit code having an intermediate space for the line of feed sprocket holes H (FIG. 11), the numeral 2 appearing in relief as a printing character on the periphery of wheel 106 has, diametrically opposite thereto on the wheel as shown in FIGURE 7, four holes 110 which are capable of receiving four out of the six punches 54 (FIG. 3). Hence, when the wheel 110 is rotated to position this character 108 at the printing station and these four holes 110 at the punching station, two holes will be punched in the tape, as indicated in the second group of punched holes from the left in FIGURE 11. This combination of punched holes may be written XOHXX on the convention that X means no hole in the tape, O means a data hole punched in the tape, and H identifies the sprocket hole punched in the tape. The -hole H is engaged by a pin 79 on the pin wheel 78. As will be understood from the above description the printing and punching of a single item of data take place at diametrically opposite points around the periphery of the wheel 106, at which points are respectively the printing station and the punching station hereinbefore referred to.

Referring to the holes diametrically aligned with the letter T, tive holes (marked t in FIG. 8) are formed (for the live unit code) because it is not desired to achieve punching of the punch tape by means of the Wheel 106 when the wheel 106 is disposed with the T or the portion 109 at the printing station. Thus, with the portion 109 at the printing station (namely, beneath the hammer as seen in FIGURE 2) the wheel 106 is ineffective to cause either printing or punching.

The token (illustrated in FIGURES 4 and 5) which may be made, for example, of a synthetic resin material, is formed with a slot 120 and a plurality of teeth 121 cut, moulded or otherwise formed in the synthetic resin material. Also formed in the token area are a plurality of holes 122 representing in code form second data digits, for example the component digits of the account number of the gas or electricity consumer. It will be noted that, counting the lines of holes 122 which extend in the direction indicated by the arrow 123 in FIGURE 4, there are eleven lines of coded data punched or otherwise formed in the token and an equal number of teeth 121, the teeth having the same spacing as the eleven lines of coded data.

The token may be secured in any suitable manner to the record card 124, the form, layout and other distinctive features of the card 124 being variable and having nothing to do with the invention in a restrictive sense. When secured to the card 124, the token and the card form a unitary assembly.

The machine is provided with an immovable actuating handle 125 which forms an extension of the chassis plate 10, said handle being supplemented by a metal block of the same shape to provide more substance. A movable actuating handle 126 is associated with the handle 125, the arrangement being such that, when the two handles 125, 126 are brought smartly together, the hammer 35 is projected towards the type face 198 positioned at the printing station (brought there by selective positioning of the wheel 106) with suicient force to overshoot the lever 17, against the tension of the light spring 32, and strike the type face with resulting printing of a first data digit on the record card.

The front cover C of the machine is formed with a pair of slots 127, 128, the slot 128 being in register with a slot 129 in the chassis plate 10, with a slot 129a in the chassis plate 130, and with a slot (not shown) in the rear cover of the machine casing. These slots 127, 129, 129a allow the record card to extend through and out of the machine at the rear side thereof.

A system of interlocks is provided, indicated generally at 141, the operation of which will become apparent from the following brief description of the operation of the machine, in which description it will be assumed that an inspector carrying the machine has called to read a meter (for example, an electricity meter).

The customers card is produced by the customer and the inspector rst makes certain that the letter T for token is visible in the window 142 provided for that purpose in the machine. The token is then inserted with the teeth 121 facing downwardly and on the right as seen by the inspector, and the token thus positioned must also be located at the extreme right-hand end of the slot 128 with its right-hand edge in register with the mark 143a (see FIGURE l) adjacent the slot. The handles 125, 126 are now squeezed together eleven times and as a result of each squeeze the following operations are affected:

(l) The ratchet wheel 38 is rotated.

(2) The ratchet wheel 39 is rotated, causing it to drive the pin wheel 78, the pins 79 of the pin wheel being in engagement with the teeth 121 of the token. l

(3) The hammer 35, having been raised, now strikes; as however a type face is not in position at the printing station, no printing is effected.

(4) The punch block makes the punching stroke and as already explained, wherever a punch encounters a hole in the wheel 106, the punch merely extends into said hole and wherever a punch encounters a blank portion of the periphery of the wheel 106, devoid of the presence of a hole therein, a hole will be punched in the punch tape.

(5) The punch tape 56 is drawn through the punch block by the rotation of the ratchet 39 and simultaneously the take-up reel 83 for the punched tape is rotated.

When all eleven consecutive operations of the handles 125, 126 are completed, the token will have become aligned with its right-hand edge in register with the mark 143 adjacent to the slot 128. If an inspector were to stop in the middle of performing the eleven punching operations he should notice that the token is not in the correct position for removal but, if he does not so notice, he will find it impossible to pull the token out because the machine is provided with a spring arm which is deflected by the leading edge of the token upon insertion of the token and which eventually projects through the slot 120 in the token when the token is fully inserted. Only when the token has been moved along the slot 128 the correct number of times (i.e, to the position in which the right-hand edge of the token is -in register with the mark 143) is this spring arm deected once again by the body of the token to permit the removal of the token.

As a result of these eleven consecutive operations, the consumers reference characters (account number) represented by the eleven lines of data in coded form (holes 122 in the tive unit code) has been punched in the punch tape 56 and as shown in FIGURE 11 this coded data precedes, in the punched tape, the data relating to the meter reading now to be recorded.

The token is removed from the machine and the record card 124 is inserted therein by way of the slot 127, the end of the card which is to be inserted being clearly labelled. It will be assumed that a new card is being used. The card 124 will be pushed into the slot 127 until the numeral 1 in the column designated Position number is visible immediately above the slot 127, the line 143 being aligned with the face of the front cover C of the casing of the machine so as to ensure that the cardis set square in the machine. Having inserted the card 124 the inspector rocks the lever 87 to the right as seen in FIGURE 3 in order to separate the rollers 70, 71 to permit the entry of one edge of the card between these rollers and, by thus rocking the lever 87, the typewriter ribbon 75 will be advanced lone step to the right as seen in FIGURE 3. When the inspector releases the knob 86 which is secured to the lever 87, the rollers 70, 71 will grip the edge of the card 124 between their milled rims and the card will be positioned at the extreme left-hand end of the slot 127 as seen in FIGURE 2.

Assuming now that the meter reading consists of a number which contains the maximum number of digits with which the machine can deal (namely, six) and assuming that the reading is 123456, the inspector will firstly set up the most significant digit on the machine by rotating the manually operable knob secured to the shaft 107 until the numeral 1 -appears in the window 142.

`The inspector will then squeeze together the handles 125,

126 thereby (1) Operating the hammer 35 to cause a printing impression of the numeral 1 to be made in the rectangle 144 on the card.

(2) Operating the punch block 53 to cause the said numeral l to be recorded on the punch tape in coded form.

(3) Causing the rollers 70, 71 to rotate to move the card 124 one space to the left as seen in FIG. 2 along theV slots 127, 129 and 129a and similarly along the slot in the rear cover D.

(4) Causing the simultaneous feeding of the punch tape towards the left as seen in FIGURE 3 and clockwise rotation of the take-up reel 83.

The procedure described above (selection of the numeral to be printed and punched followed by actuation of the handles 125, 126) is repeated for each of the other tive numerals of the meter reading.

When the recording procedure is finished, the card will be disposed at the right-hand end of the slot 127 in the machine (FIG. 1). It will be noted that a marked plate 145 is provided adjacent to the slot 127, said plate being engraved with numerals 1 to 6 which indicate the successive positions of the left-hand edge of the card 124 during the recordal operations. If, therefore, the inspector has to stop recording before completing the number of operations required by the meter reading, he will be able to see at a glance upon picking up the machine 6 p, again whether it Iis the first, second, third, etc., numeral which he must next record because the card 124 is always moved automatically after each printing and punch ing operation.

In order to remove the card, the knob 86 must again be operated to separate the rollers which are gripping the card and this action again advances the ribbon 7S. When the card is removed, the interlock referred to earlier moves to obstruct the slot 127 so that a card belonging to another consumer cannot be pushed into and through the machine until the token of that other consumer has been used to yelfect recordal of that other consumers reference. Further, the fact that free passage of a card through the slot 127 is prevented by the interlock shouldv itself serve as a reminder to the operator who has momentarily deviated from the correct operating procedure that he must set the printing and punching wheel to the position in which the letter T is visible in the window 86.

In the particular recordal procedure visualised above the customers account number, which represents the data herein referred to as the second data, is recorded lirst. Obviously however the reverse of this order would be possible with the same machine if required, the meter reading (lirst data) being recorded first and the account number (second data) second. It is to be understood therefore that the terms first and second used with reference to the data to be recorded do not imply first or second in order of recordal and similarly the terms first and second used` with reference to the two successions of machine actuations do not imply first and second in order of performance. In both cases the terms first and second are used in a purely denitive sense, to distinguish the two data and correspondingly the two successions of machine actuations from one another.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A machine for printing data on a record card and for simultaneously pun-ching said data in coded form on a record web, said machine lcomprising a printing type carrier, a plurality of individual printing type characters on said type carrier, a plurality of coded sets of holes in said type carrier, each of said coded hole sets being representative of and having the same positional relation on said carrier with respect to a separate corresponding one of said type characters, said type carrier being adjustable to simultaneously position any one of said type characters at a predetermined printing station and the corresponding one of said coded hole sets -at a predetermined hole punching station, said machine further comprising record card receiving and advancing means for advancing a record card in step-by-step fashion past the printing station, record web advancing means for similarly Iadvancing a record web past the hole punching station, pressure means for applying printing pressure to press a record card 4against the type character positioned at the printing station, punching means selectively movable into cooperative engagement with the holes of the coded hole set positioned at the punching station to punch in the record web a combination of holes defined by the holes of that coded hole set, and actuating means for synchronously operating said record card and record web advancing means, said pressure means, and said punching means, whereby the type character positioned at the printing station is printed on the record card, a combination of holes corresponding to the coded hole set positionedat the punching station is simultaneously punched in the record web, and the record card and record web are each advanced one data position for each operation of said actuating means.

2. A machine for printing data on a record card and for simultaneously punching said data in coded form on a record web according to claim 1 wherein the type carrier includes an additional set of holes, said additional set of holes having a Ihole from each of said codedhole sets, said machine further comprising a punch controlling token having sets of coded holes representing data additional to that which is to be printed on the record card, means for receiving and supporting said punch controlling token in operative alignment with said punching station, means responsive to said lactuating means for advancing the token in step-by-step fashion past said punching station in synchronism with advancement of said record web past said punching station, said punching means being selectively movable into cooperative engagement with the holes of the set of coded holes in the token positioned at the punching station to punch in the record web a combination of holes dened by the holes of that set of coded holes.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 10 WILLIAM B. PENN Kolbe 101-19 Woodruff et al lOl-19 Biltaly lOl-19 Hopp 101-19 Platzrnan et al 10i- 19 Vagner l0l-19 Primary Examiner. 

1. A MACHINE FOR PRINTING DATA ON A RECORD CARD AND FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY PUNCHING SAID DATA IN CODED FORM ON A RECORD WEB, SAID MACHINE COMPRISING A PINTING TYPE CARRIER, A PLURALITY OF INDIVIDUAL PRINTING TYPE CHARACTERS ON SAID TYPE CARRIER, A PLURALITY OF CODED SETS OF HOLES IN SAID TYPE CARRIER, EACH OF SAID CODED HOLES SETS BEING REPRESENTATIVE OF AND HAVING THE SAME POSITIONED RELATION ON SAID CARRIER WITH RESPECT TO A SEPARATE CORRESPONDING ONE OF SAID TYPE CHARACTERS, SAID TYPE CARRIER BEING ADJUSTABLE TO SIMULTANEOUSLY POSITION ANY ONE OF SAID TYPE CHARACTERS AT A PREDETERMINED PRINTING STATION AND THE CORRESPONDING ONE OF SAID CODED HOLE SETS AT A PREDETERMINED HOLE PUNCHING STATION, SAID MACHINE FURTHER COMPRISING RECORD CARD RECEIVING AND ADVANCING MEANS FOR ADVANCING A RECORD CARD IN STEP-BY-STEP FASHION PAST THE PRINTING STATION, RECORD WEB ADVANCING MEANS FOR SIMILARLY ADVANCING A RECORD WEB PAST THE HOLE PUNCHING STATION, PRESSURE MEANS FOR APPLYING PRINTING PRESSURE TO PRESS A RECORD CARD AGAINST THE TYPE CHARACTER POSITIONED AT THE PRINTING STATION, PUNCHING MEANS SELECTIVELY MOVABLE INTO COOPERATIVE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE HOLES OF THE CODED HOLE SET POSITIONED AT THE PUNCHING STATION TO PUNCH IN THE RECORD WEB A COMBINATION OF HOLES DEFINED BY THE HOLES OF THAT CODED HOLE SET, AND ACTUATING MEANS FOR SYNCHRONOUSLY OPERATING SAID RECORD CARD AND RECORD WEB ADVANCING MEANS, SAID PRESURE MEANS, AND SAID PUNCHING MEANS, WHEREBY THE TYPE CHARACTER POSITIONED AT THE PRINTING STATION IS PRINTED ON THE RECORD CARD, A COMBINATION OF HOLES CORRESPONDING TO THE CODED HOLE SET POSITIONED AT THE PUNCHING STATION IS SIMULTANEOUSLY PUNCHED IN THE RECORD WEB, AND THE RECORD CARD AND RECORD WEB ARE EACH ADVANCED ONE DATA POSITION FOR EACH OPERATION OF SAID ACTUATING MEANS. 